David Sedaris Naked
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Naked is a series of essays by David Sedaris relating the details of his life. The entire story is told rather tongue-in-cheek (just like the rest of Sedaris’ material) and deals with even heavy details (such as the death of his mother) in a slightly irreverent manner. Before its publication some of the essays were read aloud by Sedaris on This American Life.
The book is composed of 17 different essays in roughly chronological order. The essays include:
- Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out!: An account of Sedaris’ grandmother who is froced to live with the family as her physical condition deteriorates. She is eventually moved into a nursing home and dies, mourned only by Sedaris’ father.
- Cyclops: A series of cautionary tales passed down through the Sedaris family. Named from a story told by his father who claims to have accidentally blinded another boy in one eye.
- I Like Guys: The retelling of Sedaris’ realization that he is gay at a summer camp.
- Naked: Sedaris’ visit to a nudist colony, and the final essay in the book.
The book quickly became a best seller and was lauded for its dark humor and candid tone.